Build a website yourself or have it made?

The honest trade-off

You need a website. The question is: do you build it yourself or outsource it? Both options have pros and cons. Let's be honest about them.

Build it yourself

Upsides

• Low cost: platforms like Wix and Squarespace start at €10/month
• Start right away: no waiting, you can begin today
• Full control: you set the pace

Downsides

• Time investment: count on 40 to 80 hours for a decent website
• Limited design: you're stuck with templates
• Mediocre SEO: page builders often generate unoptimised code
• Slow load times: 3 to 6 seconds on average
• No support: you fix problems on your own

Good fit for

• Hobby projects
• Very tight budgets
• People who actually enjoy tinkering with it

Have it made

Upsides

• Professional result: custom design that matches your brand
• Speed: websites that load in under a second
• SEO-ready: built to be found
• Time saved: you focus on your business
• Support: someone to help when you need it

Downsides

• Higher investment: from €750
• Some dependency: for changes you sometimes need the builder
• Lead time: around 2 weeks on average until launch

Good fit for

• Businesses that want a serious online presence
• When your website needs to bring in customers
• When you don't have time to do it yourself

The cost in perspective

Say you earn €50 an hour with your work. If you spend 60 hours building a website yourself, that's €3,000 in lost income, and you still end up with a mediocre website.

For the same amount you could have had a professional website built that:

• Loads in under a second
• Gets found in Google
• Brings in customers

Our recommendation

If your website needs to be a working part of your business, have it made. If it's a hobby project, build it yourself and enjoy it.

At Friday Webs we build websites that bring in customers, so you can focus on what you do best: running your business.

View our packages, start the wizard or get in touch.

Further reading

• What does a website really cost?: an honest price indication per package
• WordPress vs custom website: if you're seriously considering outsourcing, this is the difference
• Why speed is everything: why DIY platforms are often slow